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Role of STEWARD aboard ship

L

LtBennett

SOC-6
This should be fun....my character in current adventure is a STEWARD serving nobles aboard ship and land adventure...

Yes...I need to attend to their needs in general and make sure they are happy with the meals and food prepared...

Any other thoughts or detail out there....articles written????? I have searched for a menu item or two to "spice" things up a bit....have checked the WIKI...

anyone recall COTI having a thread in past?
:coffeegulp:
 
On one cruise, a long time ago, we had a server at our dinner table with something that looked like a polished brass tongue depressor that was curved down the length of it (as if it had been cut out of a pipe). He would come by the table between courses and with a continuous swift motion scoop up all of the bread crumbs from the table cloth around us. It soon became almost a game for the guests to attempt to hide their crumbs under the edge of a plate or among the silverware. The waiter was still able to find them every time and swept the table clean without missing a beat.

He was the most memorable waiter we ever had.
 
While for MT, teh Starship's Operator Manual gave some more functions for the Purser (in a commercial ship, he will be the main steward):

  • Entertainment for the passengers (be it films, parties, games...)
  • Keeping the stores for the ship (mostly food) full
  • Finding passengers while in port (in coordination with the captain)
  • Taking care of the life support (in MgT, this wil lrequire Engineer (life support) skill)

I would add:

  • Preparing the passengers for next stop (info, possible vaccinesneeded, laws and custoums), mostly by access to library data.
  • Security aboard (including gunners when so needed)
 
That’s called a crumber (“krummer”).

Cruise ship itineraries can be great inspiration for things to do in between ports besides lounging at the pool and eating. Games competitions, dances and balls, movie nights all come to mind.

I think it was the GURPS Traveller supplement on Glisten that mentioned a ZeroG swimming pool, basically a giant floating sphere of water. Probably not feasible in a ship but hopefully inspiring in some way. Maybe a section of the cargo hold gets padded for a few ZeroG games one evening?
 
Any other thoughts or detail out there....
Click to expand...

they may involve your character in their social warfare spats.

he may overhear their plots and plans.

one of them may decide he's the perfect cat's paw - someone who can do what they want yet be expendable and deniable.

or he may be so good at his job that one of them decides they want him in their entourage.
 
Any one of a number of problem solving butler characters.


Cascade specialties in Cuisine/Cook, Bartender, Hosting Party, etc.


That last one should be distinguished from Carousing which is more about BEING the party.


Personal/psychological problem solver ala the crew of the Love Boat.
 
kilemall said:
That last one should be distinguished from Carousing which is more about BEING the party.
Click to expand...

And yet they are related. Remember in MT (at least) Carousing may be used as Steward (at -1 level)
 
This thread on the cargo load master had some thoughts that the steward is also the cargo master: http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=38010&highlight=cargo+master

And some of those posts made a fair amount of sense, so in my current solo game the steward is also purser, cargo master and general gopher (now I've got the Love Boat theme stuck in my head).

Some of my take-aways from that thread were that a steward would also know about things to get and people to know at various ports (his Lordship really prefers the chocolates from Pierre's Chocatier over on Concourse D in Port Thataway), knows how to get sundries (the port supplier get her supplies from Frankies; go direct and you can get wholesale prices if you know him).

So steward could branch out to more social/carousing/streetwise/other skills possibly. Depending on how you want to play it. My one steward character always turned down the beds with a chocolate on the pillow (somewhere there is a thread on 3d food maker; this steward custom-designed the chocolates per passenger. I was hoping for a bonus on any reaction checks!)
 
coliver988 said:
My one steward character always turned down the beds with a chocolate on the pillow (somewhere there is a thread on 3d food maker; this steward custom-designed the chocolates per passenger. I was hoping for a bonus on any reaction checks!)
Click to expand...

I hope you don't take may Vargr passengers (see this old thread) :devil:
 
The other role of a concierge in a hotel is that he is the fellow that can arrange things for you - get theater tickets, know the best times to go to museums and cultural sites, know where is the best place to buy certain items (legal or illegal), and help you obtain things (ditto). So the Steward may have some shadier skills to help a wealthy, headstrong guest get what he wants (could be a good opportunity for Streetwise).
 
CaptRet said:
The other role of a concierge in a hotel is that he is the fellow that can arrange things for you - get theater tickets, know the best times to go to museums and cultural sites, know where is the best place to buy certain items (legal or illegal), and help you obtain things (ditto). So the Steward may have some shadier skills to help a wealthy, headstrong guest get what he wants (could be a good opportunity for Streetwise).
Click to expand...

Sure but hotel concierges are not out of contatc of the rest of the universo as a ship in jump is...

And they ae always in the same city, so having contacts, while a spaceship's steward can go to several planets, each of them needing its own contacts.
 
THANKS to all..."May I get you anything?"

THANKS to all...my character can now play a more thoughtful role as STEWARD.

"Sir Noble. May I get you anything?"

"When we dock at the starport you may want to have me organize a space taxi for you Sir?"

"Did you enjoy that lizard juice Sir? It's a specialty of this planet? No after effects or anything and helps with that diziness you have been experiencing on this trip."

"Certainly Sir...I'd be happy to fix that for you. Dinner will be served tonight in the Captain's Quarters at 1700."

BY JOVE...I THINK I HAVE IT!
:coffeegulp:
 
One thing that goes with life support (one of the duties of the steward before MgT mad e it a nengineering specialty) appearing in MT:SOM is to gradually adapt the gravity from jump origin planet to jump destinatio none, so that passengers get used to it .

I guess that can also apply to day length and atmospheric presure (as long as both planets are inhabitable, of course, as o therwise domed hábitats are likely to have all thsoe factors artificial).
 
Well if the steward didn’t do it it’s one of the other servants. Unless of course you suspect Lady FitzSmythe of being complicit in her husband’s murder....

Actually that does sound like a fun concept a ship run like a regency estate. Rather than split the servants by gender (as irl) I’d probably have the captain as the ‘estate steward’ with the ‘steward’ and ‘technical’ teams under him (assuming the noble(s) are ‘passengers’ only). Could really get a regency drama going or branch it into an Edwardian murder mystery if your players aren’t fans of Austen.
 
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